Dynasty Saga Interview: Epic Warfare From The Start

Questions by Bryan King
Answered by Jiming Zhou (Joe) of Koram Games

 

Dynasty Saga is a revolutionary new web game that has combined and improved upon elements of traditional city-building strategy games and classic RPG games to bring you an entirely new gaming experience. Today, I was pleased to toss some questions at Jiming Zhou, who is the Marketing Manager of Dynasty Saga.

 

OnRPG: Hi there! Although we’re all familiar with your name now, can you please introduce readers to your position at Koram Games?

Hello everyone nice to meet you all! I am Joe, the Marketing Manager of Koram Games.

OnRPG: What is Koram Games’ history in the MMO market?

Koram Games is a subsidiary company of Kunlun Group. We have published Kunlun’s games in English, Chinese, French, Spanish, German, Turkish, and Japanese. Our previous games include Three Kingdoms Online, Mythopolis, Clash of Kingdoms, King of Kungfu, CEO Dream, and many more. Our company is a major player in the browser-based MMOG market especially in China and Taiwan. 

 

OnRPG: Can you please introduce readers to your project, Dynasty Saga?

Dynasty Saga is our newest browser game which I personally believe stands out from other strategy games based on the Three Kingdom time period. In Dynasty Saga you no longer need to toil tirelessly for resources or wait endlessly to recruit your army. Instead, you’ll be fighting and having fun as soon as you enter the game! You can defeat a higher level player by utilizing gambits, tactics, formations and your military ingenuity, so you won’t need to grind away your time on stuff that isn’t any fun!

 

OnRPG: I noticed that the Han Dynasty is mentioned before the first mission of the game, obviously having some correlation to historical events. Can you please tell users about Dynasty Saga’s storyline?

Dynasty Saga’s storyline is based on the Three Kingdoms period of ancient China. In the year 184 AD, an extremist Taoist sect known as the Yellow Turbans launched a peasant rebellion against the mighty Han Empire which led to its eventual collapse. In its aftermath a new stock of heroes emerged, visionary generals, cunning tacticians and despotic tyrants each dead-set on the conquest of the fallen emperor’s throne. What followed was a period of total warfare the likes of which China had never known with epic battles being fought, both on land and on water, between endless armies of devoted soldiers under the command of legendary generals. Cunning and intrigue became weapons of war and allegiances were made and broken with little hesitation. This famous period of Chinese history came to be known as the Three Kingdoms Period, referring to the Wei, Shu and Wu Kingdoms. Players of Dynasty of Saga will have the chance to fight for one of these mighty kingdoms and interact with all of the famous characters of the time.

 

OnRPG: There are plenty of browser games out there. How does Dynasty Saga differentiate itself from them?

Most browser games of the strategy genre force their players to spend vast amounts of time collecting resources and waiting for construction and training queues to finish. If a player wants to participate in a battle it will take him a long time to amass enough troops. Poor resource management can lead to players who won’t be able to do much of anything for a long time. Dynasty Saga is totally different because you can start fighting straight away. Resource management will only become important later on when you’ve gotten the hang of how the game works. Dynasty Saga also features strong RPG elements with great emphasis on the individuality of different generals and units giving endless replay ability and strategic possibilities. It really is a game that is both inviting to the newbie and challenging to even a seasoned pro.

 

OnRPG: Would you consider the game “hard” for anyone to just pick up and play?

I don’t think so. You don’t have to know much about the inner workings of the game in order to start doing stuff and having fun. Both RPG and strategy game players will be instantly at home with Dynasty Saga.

OnRPG: With that in mind, what is your team’s target audience with the game? Hardcore or casual?

I think both types of players would enjoy playing Dynasty Saga. Casual players can play at their own pace, following the storyline of the Three Kingdoms through the campaign whilst being protected from attacks by high level players as the game will not allow players to attack anyone 10 levels or lower than them. We have put a lot of effort into balancing the game and ensuring fairness for all players. As for more hardcore players they’ll have the chance to participate in extensive PvP battles. Dynasty Saga supports huge battles between over a hundred players. That’s around 500 generals and more than 10,000 troops!

 

OnRPG: I understand that the game was taken from an Eastern development team and translated and reformed for English speakers. How was this transition?

Our goal when translating Dynasty Saga was to preserve the cultural richness of the game’s background as the game draws heavily on the stories and lore of the Three Kingdoms. We hope that our players will not only find this game entertaining and challenging but can also learn more about the fascinating world of Eastern culture and history

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OnRPG: How have fans responded to Dynasty Saga so far, and what channels of communication does your team use to gain feedback?

Since the beginning of Closed Beta we have received a lot of feedback and suggestions from players on our forums. We were delighted to see so many players giving Dynasty Saga five stars on Facebook. We really appreciate the support and feedback of our players which help us to improve the game.

 

OnRPG: Are there any PvP elements in the game that allow players to duke it out?

Dynasty Saga has many PvP game elements. One of the most spectacular of these is legion battle. When a legion battle breaks out you can have more than 100 players fighting against each other on two opposing sides. You can participate in these epic battles by simply joining a legion and logging in at the right time. Strategize with your squad mates to defeat the enemy legion and gain prestige.

 

OnRPG: Does your team make sure that the cash shop balances out players who do pay and those who do not? If so, how?

Dynasty Saga players who buy gold will enjoy a few benefits that free players do not. Having said that, the game is still very enjoyable to players who don’t buy gold. Players have a chance of collecting gold in-game as well as winning it through competitions. Compared to many other games where it is almost impossible to play without buying gold, Dynasty Saga really does allow players to play for free. Free players are also protected from being bullied by gold-buying players who might be stronger though it is entirely possible for a free player to dominate a paying player.

 

OnRPG: Do you think that this is the time of game where players will choose many Generals (main characters) to mess around with or will players stick to one?

In Dynasty Saga you can deploy a total of 5 generals at once. You need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your generals in order to use them effectively. Each general will have unique attributes as well special attacks and gambits. Choose your formation carefully and place each general in a position that suits him/her the best. Enemies will be doing the same too so you’ll need to flexible and adapt your strategies to each opponent. There will be more and more generals to choose from as the player advances through the campaign but players will soon find ones that suit their playing style the best.

 

OnRPG: Do you guys have any major future content for DS? Any new MMOs coming to Koram Games?

Yes. Our development schedule for next year is already pretty full. There will be new features and new campaigns for Dynasty Saga. As for new MMOs, there are already a few projects underway. We will be releasing a new client-based game soon but it is currently only available in Chinese.

 

OnRPG: Where do you see Dynasty Saga a year from now?

We will be adding more features and expanding the game’s campaign. It’s hard to say what the game will look like in a year’s time but from the looks of things the game is set to become a big hit with our players.

 

OnRPG: Anything else you would like to leave readers with?

Koram Games is proud of what we have achieved with Dynasty Saga. We hope readers who enjoy strategy and RPG games will give it a try. Join Dynasty Saga today and create your own legend!

 

OnRPG: Thank you so much for your time!

I really appreciate the chance to introduce DS to OnRPG readers.